Elevator.



, UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed August 15, 1905. Serial No- 274,318.

To all whom it may concern;

Be itknown that I, BURTON E. KINGSLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in elevators, and particularly toa safety mechanism therefor.

The object of the invention is the provision of means for causing theuprights of a car or cage to be forced against the guides between whichsaid car is positioned for partly or entirely stopping the descentthereof.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists of certainother novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, asWill be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims heretoappended. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View .in side elevation of a mechanismconstructed in accordance with the present invention, said mechanismbeing shown in its normal position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1,except the parts of the mechanism are shown in the position assumed whenactuated for partly or entirely stopping the descent of the car or cage.Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the mechanism, taken above the cross-headof the ca e and showing the guides in section and a agmentary view ofthe floor or platform of the car or cage. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary viewof the mechanism taken on line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the eccentric and the movable toothed roller coacting therewith.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates vertical guides,between which the car or cage is positioned. The car or cage comprisesin its construction vertical uprights 2 2. Secured to the lower end ofsaid uprights 2 2 are parallel transverse cleats. Secured transverselyto the cleats 3 3 are parallel supporting members 4 4, upon which thefloor or platform 5 is formed. Each of the uprights 2 is notched at 6upon each side near its upper end for receiving one of the bifurcatedends 7 of the horizontal crosshead 8. Stays 9 9 are preferably, securedto the ends of the parallel supporting members 4 and are passed over thecross-head 8, bracing the floor or platform 5. By reason of thebifurcated structure of the cross-head 8, Fig. 3, the vertical uprights2 2 are capable of lateral movement, as they are loosely positionedbetween the bifurcated ends 7 7 of the cross head 8.

Upon each of the uprights 2 are secured guide members 10, which areprovided with parallel outer ends engaging the sides of the upri hts1 1. These guide members are preferab y substantially U-shaped. Theyprevent the car or cage from becoming removed from between the guides.The guide members constitute guiding means which surround a portion ofthe guides 1 for retaining the car at all times between said guides. Thebody or that portion of the guide members 10 engaging the uprights 2 ispreferably countersunk in the outer face of said uprights. Thesesubstantially U-shaped guide members are the equivalent of longitudinalgrooves upon the guide-engaging sides of the uprights. The guides 1would be positioned within the longitudinal grooves in the same manneras they are positioned between the parallel sides of the guide members.

I have provided means whereby in the event "of an accident happening toa car the uprights 2 2 may be pressed against the inner edge or surfaceof the guides 1 1 and retard or entirely stop the descent of the car orcage. Of course the uprights 2 2 are connected to the transverse cleats3 for supporting the platform 5; but this connection will not prevent ofthe slight lateral movement of the uprights 2, which causes the same tobind or press against the inner edges of the guides, Fig. 2. The meansfor causing the lateral movement of the uprights 2 for jamming orpressing the same against the uprights 1 for retarding the movement ofthe car or cage comprises primary and auxiliary horizontal shafts 12 and13, respectively. The shaft 13 is provided with a primary arm 14 and anauxiliary arm 15. These arms are secured at substantially right anglesto each other. The primary arm 14 is connected at its outer end to avertical bolt 16. The bolt 16 is provided with a headed upper end 17 towhich the hoistingcable 11 is preferably connected. The bolt .16 passesthrough an apertured portion of the cross-head 8. The lower end of thebolt is threaded at 18, and upon the threaded portion a nut 19 ispositioned. Above the nut 19 and secured upon the bolt 16 is a flatspring 20. The spring 20 is secured at its ends to the uprights 2 2 andis adapted to exert a downward pressure upon the nut 19 for assisting inmoving the primary arm 14 downward when the hoisting-cable 11 is severedor broken. Loosely mounted upon the primary revoluble shaft 12 is aneccentric 21, Fig. 5. Integral with the eccentric 21 is a lever-arm 22,which is provided with apertures 23. Fixedly secured to the outer end ofthe primary shaft 12 and contiguous to the eccentric 21 is a roller 24,which is provided with a roughened surface 25, constituting a toothedwheel. The eccentric 21 is positioned within a bracket 26, removablysecured by any suitable means to one of the uprights 2. Secured upon theother upright 2 is a bracket 27, similarly constructed to bracket 26,but of less dimensions. One end of the primary shaft is journaled in thebracket 27, while its opposite end portion is journaled in the eccentric21, the extreme end being fixedly secured within the toothed roller 24.A flexible member 28as, for instance, a helical springis secured at oneend in one of the apertures 23, and its opposite end is secured at 29 toan upright 2. The auxiliary arm 15 is connected to the lever 22,preferably by a chain 30, Fig. 4. The end of the chain or connectingmeans 30 is secured in the apertured portions of the lever 22 and thearm 15. The auxiliary shaft 13 is journaled in brackets 31, which aresecured upon the uprights 2 2 opposite to the brackets 26 and 27. A pairof parallel plates 32 is secured upon each of the uprights 2 below thehorizontal revoluble shafts 12 and 13. Between these plates 32 arepivotally secured sets of pivotally-connected members 33 and 34, whichconstitute a toggle-bar. A pulley or grooved wheel 35 is connected tothe inner ends of the lower members 33 33 by any suitable means. Aflexible member 36as, for instance, a chainis secured to the inner endsof the members 34 34 in any suitable manner, and its opposite end isfixedly secured centrally to the shaft 12. When rotary movement isimparted to the shaft 12, the chain will be Wound around the same andwill cause the toggle-bar to be drawn together, and consequently spreadthe uprights 2 apart, Fig. 2. Rotation of the shaft 12 is caused bymeans of the toothed roller 24 and one side of a guide 1.

When the hoist-cable 11 is severed, the flat spring 20 will assist inthrowing arms 14 and 15 forward, consequently permitting of the spring28 to pull the lever 22 of the eccentric 21 downward, and therebyplacing the shaft 12 near to the upright which is contiguous to thetoothed roller 24. The toothed roller will be placed in engagement withthe upright 1, and as the car descends shaft 12 will be rotated and thechain wound around the same, as clearly seen in Fig. 2. The winding ofthe chain will of course through the medium of the pulley compress themembers of the toggle-bar, and consequently jam the uprights against theguides, for the reason that said toggle-bar acts as a cam or wedge forforcing said uprights to engage the inner edges of the guides. If thedescent of the car or cage is not entirely stopped, it will be retardedto such an extent as to prevent of any injury thereto or to itsoccupants.

Ordinarily the car is lifted through the medium of the hoisting-cable 11and the bolt 16. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that when the car is inposition to be freely moved between the guides 1 1 the spring 20 will bebowed to a greater extent than when the uprights are jammed against theguides 1, Fig. 2. When the bolt 16 is in the position depicted in Fig.1, the arm 14 will be lifted, thereby placing the arm 15 at an angle toa vertical plane, Fig. 4, and through the medium of the connecting means30 the eccentric will be so positioned as to place the primary shaft 12in its farthest position away from one of the uprights 2, andconsequently placing the toothed wheel away from the guide 1. Thereleasing of the rotatable shaft 12 by disengaging roller 24 from aguide 1 permits the members of the toggle-bar to move apart, ar-

ticularly when the flat spring 20 is lifte as shown in Fig. 1, as thelifting of the central portion of said spring will cause its ends to bedrawn inward slightly, sufficiently to permit the uprights 2 2 to beremoved from in engagement with the guides 1, Fig. 1.

What I claim is 1. In a mechanism of the class described, thecombination with parallel guides, of a car provided with movableuprights positioned between said guides,,a toggle-bar secured to saiduprights, a rotatable shaft carried by said uprights, flexible meansconnecting diametrically opposite parts of said toggle-bar and fixedlysecured to said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft and therebywinding said flexible means thereon, for compressing said toggle-bar.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with guides,of a carprovided with laterally-movable uprights positioned between saidguides, a toggle-bar positioned between and connected to said uprights,a rotatable shaft carried by said uprights, flexible means connectingdiametrically opposite arts of said toggle-bar and fixedly secure tosaid shaft, a roller fixedly secured to. said shaft, and means formoving said roller to an engaging position with a guide, wherebymovement of the car will cause rotation of said roller and shaft andcompression of said toggle-bar, through the medium of said flexiblemeans.

3. In a mechanismof the class described,

the combination with vertical guides, of a car provided with across-head positioned between said guides, said cross-head provided withbifurcated ends, laterally-movable uprights carried by said car andpositioned within the bifurcated ends of said cross-head, a toggle-barconnected to said uprights, pri mary and auxiliary, revoluble shaftspositioned upon opposite sides of said uprights, said auxiliaryshaftprovided with primary and auxiliary arms positioned atsubstantially right angles to each other, a bracket formed upon one ofsaid uprights, an eccentric provided with a lever, loosely mounted uponsaid primary shaft, within said bracket, a toothed roller fixedlysecured to one end of said primary shaftand contiguous to saideccentric, a spring secured at one end to said lever and at its oppositeend to an upright, means connecting said lever and auxiliary arm,flexible means connected to diametrically opposite arts of saidtoggle-bar and fixedly secure to said primary shaft, avertically-movable member positioned within said cross-head and securedto said auxiliary arm, and a spring secured at its end to said uprightsand in engagement with said vertically-movable member.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with verticalguides, a car positioned between said guides, of substantially parallel,movable members carried by said car, a toggle-bar secured to saidmovable members, a shaft provided with an eccentric carried by said car,a flexible member connected to diametrically opposite parts of saidtoggle-bar and fixedly secured to said shaft, a toothed member fixedlysecured to said shaft and adapted to engage one of said guides, andmeans for moving said eccentric for adjusting said toothed member.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with guides,of a car provided with parallel, laterally-movable means, a toggle-barconnected to said laterally-movable means, a shaft provided with aneccentric carried by said car, a pulley secured upon one side of saidtoggle-bar, a flexible member secured to one side of said toggle-bar andpassed around said pulley and fixedly secured to said shaft, a toothedmember fixedly secured to one end of said shaft, and means for movingsaid eccentric, and thereby adjusting the toothed member.

6. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with guides,of a car provided with movable guide-engaging means, a toggle-barcarried by said car, a shaft provided with toothed means carried by saidcar, a flexible member connected to said toggle-bar and shaft, and meansfor adjusting the shaft for placing the toothed portion in differentpositions for controlling movement of said flexible member andtoggle-bar.

7. The combination with vertical guides, of a car provided with movableuprights, positioned between said guides, a toggle-bar mounted upon saiduprights, rotatable means carried by said car, and flexible meansconnected to said toggle-bar and rotatable means and capable of beingwound upon said rotatable means for compressing said togglebar andthereby causing said uprights to clamp upon the guides.

8. The combination with guides, of a car provided with laterally-movableuprights positioned between said guides, a toggle-bar engaging saiduprights, means engaging diametrically opposite parts of said toggle-barand being capable of compressing said togglebar for causing saiduprights to clamp the guides.

9. The combination with guides, of a car provided with laterally-movableuprights, constituting sides, positioned between said guides, atoggle-bar engaging said uprights, a rotatable member carried by saidcar, and flexible means connecting said toggle-bar and rotatable memberand capable of compressing said toggle-bar when movement is imparted tosaid rotatable member.

10. The combination with vertical guides, of a car provided withlaterally-movable uprights, positioned between said guides, a toggle-barcarried entirely by said uprights, said toggle-bar comprising sets ofmembers, and means for closing said sets together for causing saiduprights to clamp the guides.

11. The combination with guides, of a car provided withlaterally-movable uprights, positioned between said guides, a toggle-barpivotally mounted at each end upon said uprights, said toggle-barcomprising sets of members, and means engaging diametrically oppositeportions of said toggle-bar and capable of drawing the sets of membersof said toggle-bar together for moving said uprights outward.

12. The combination with guides, of a car provided with movableuprights, constituting the sides of said car, positioned between saidguides, a revoluble shaft carried by said car, means connected to saidshaft and being capable of separating said uprights, when rotarymovement is imparted to said shaft.

13. The combination with guides, of a car provided with movableuprights, positioned between said guides, a toggle-bar pivotally securedat each end to said upri hts, said toggle-bar comprising sets of memers, and means for simultaneously drawing the sets of members of saidtoggle-bar together for moving the uprights into engagement with saidguides.

14. The combination with uides, a car provided with laterally-movailemembers positioned between sai guides, a toggle-bar positioned betweensaid uprights, said toggle-bar comprising sets of members, and

means for compressing said sets of members for moving saidlaterally-movable members against said guides.

15. The combination with guides, of a car providedwith movableguide-engagingmeans, a toggle-bar carried by said car, a shaft providedwith toothed means carried by said car, means connecting said toggle-barand shaft, and a capable of compressing said toggle-bar when rotarymovement is imparted to said toothed means and shaft.

16. The combination with guides, a car positioned between said guides,of guide-engaging members carried by said car, a toggle-bar engagingsaid guide-engaging members, said 1 5 toggle-bar comprising sets ofmembers, and means connected to and being capable of drawing said setsof members together for moving said guide-engaging members.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature 20 in presence of twowitnesses.

BURTON E. KINGSLEY.

Witnesses:

W. W. BAYLOR, M. MAOVETTER, Sr.

